Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL; DR
- Samsung is working on a smartwatch with solar charging.
- One patent describes the use of solar cells mounted in a watch strap.
- These would allow the wearable to charge the battery with ambient light.
Power consumption has always been an issue for smartwatches as fitting a large battery pack into the confines of a small, wrist-worn device is a daunting task. We experienced exactly this problem with Samsung’s smaller Galaxy Watch 4 variants. However, it seems that Samsung has come up with a possible solution to the problem.
A new patent (via LetsGoDigital) describes a solar bracelet design for a future Samsung smartwatch. According to the detailed description, each section of the strap would house a solar cell that powers the watch’s battery. Samsung describes the use of a polymer loaded with quantum dots over these solar cells to change the light path. The company believes this design could be very efficient.
Samsung smartwatch patent with solar charging function
In particular, this patent was first applied for in 2019, but was only recently released by the USPTO, suggesting that Samsung has been working on this technology for quite some time. It wouldn’t be the first company to combine solar charging with a smartwatch, however.
Garmin currently offers a variety of solar watches, led by the Fenix 6X Pro Solar. Notably, this device can’t be fully charged using solar power alone, but Garmin claims it does increase the time between charges.
Samsung would likely face a similar problem. While it claims its patent design is efficient, it is unlikely to accumulate enough energy to completely negate wall charging. It would also be understandable if lifestyle factors – such as wearing long-sleeved shirts or spending the whole day in poor lighting conditions – influenced the charging performance of the solar system.
But how much power can the system collect in full sun? The benefits of the technology would have to be palpable to justify the inclusion, especially if it added bulk to the wearable.
As always, that doesn’t mean Samsung filed the patent to use on a consumer product. But what do you mean Would you like to see solar charge on a Samsung smartwatch? Let us know in the comments below.
